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CT Eats: Chocolate is the star at Hedonist Artisan Chocolates

CT Eats usually features savory food, but I wanted to end the year on a sweeter note. Hopefully, this review of Hedonist Artisan Chocolates will be the first installment in a series highlighting local places to fulfill your various sweet-treat needs.

Since Ryan, my CT Eats sidekick, is a dessert-hating abomination, I decided to take Shagun (another CT Eats veteran) along. We put together our own 10-piece box of assorted chocolates. That way, we could pick five flavors and get two of each and try them together.

The perfect place to begin is with the salted caramel. As common as this trendy flavor is, this truffle was anything but. The caramel was thick and luscious, and I loved the use of chunky salt crystals to add sharpness and texture. Since this was the first Hedonist chocolate I tried, the chocolate itself caught my attention. It was buttery and decadent — a far cry from anything pre-packaged.

On to another classic combo: the raspberry dark chocolate. This truffle exemplified Hedonist’s true appeal: how the chocolate itself was always the star. The flavorings of each truffle were almost accessories to that wonderful fresh chocolate. In this case, the bright flavor of freeze-dried raspberry perfectly accented the dark chocolate’s bittersweet notes.

For our third familiar flavor pairing, we selected the macadamia nut white chocolate truffle. While I enjoy white chocolate macadamia nut products, I often find that it becomes cloying. But this white chocolate was in a different league, not overly-sweet in the slightest. And much like the other truffles, it was rich, buttery, and creamy. Plus, the macadamia nuts were large enough to allow both crunchy bites and smooth bites of pure chocolate.

Hedonist features a seasonal Easter display of spring-themed chocolates. Photo taken by Olivia Banc.

Honoring spring, Hedonist had an exciting display of floral chocolates. I was most intrigued by the dandelion wine, a combination I haven’t seen offered anywhere else. Surprisingly, it had a nutty taste — the dandelion, I’m assuming — since the only other taste was the wine. Definitely unexpected, yet wholly enjoyed. And it helped, of course, that this truffle was shaped like an adorable little butterfly.

My favorite of the day was another floral find: the rosebud truffle. I was truly shocked by this one. The creamy filling inside was milk-chocolate brown but had a prominent rose flavor. As sensational as that rose flavor was, it still only served to enhance the chocolate instead of overpowering it.

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by all the unique flavor combinations Hedonist Artisan Chocolates had to offer, and even the common combos were top-tier. Still, as fantastic as the fun flavors were, they perfectly balanced with the real star of Hedonist: luscious, luxurious fresh chocolate. If you’re really looking to impress someone, trade that grocery store box of chocolates for the real deal at Hedonist.